Updates to safety procedures in the College of Fine Arts

Friday, September 15, 2017

Editor's Note: This page will be updated as new information is released.

Updated September 2017

The College of Fine Arts, with the university, is working to improve and refine security and safety protocols on The University of Texas at Austin campus. ​Please visit this page on the Be Safe website to learn more about the latest safety updates on campus.

Evening Transportation Programs:

Every member of the UT Austin community can get free rides on LYFT through the new Parking and Transportation Services program called SURE Ride. Registered participants can request a ride from main campus to residential locations only including: homes, apartments, condos, and private dorms located in certain areas off campus, between the hours of 11 pm and 4 am, seven days per week. Locations served will mirror current UT Shuttles routes for West Campus, Far West, Lake Austin, North Riverside, Lake Shore, Crossing Place, Red River, and Intramural Fields. You must register at this link to use this service.

If a student, staff or faculty member needs a van ride on campus, they should call 512-471-4441, Option 9. The vans are available from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.

These changes complement the UT Shuttle System, which operates until 11 p.m. every day during semesters except Saturday.

Security Guard Patrol: The College of Fine Arts continues to provide dedicated security guards from UTPD to patrol all Fine Arts buildings between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., seven days a week (with the exception of University Holidays). When there is no patrol and buildings are closed, unsupervised students will not have access to the building.

Security guard officers are unarmed, dressed in informal security attire, and easily identified as COFA and UTPD guards. Their job is to make sure only authorized students, faculty and guests are present in COFA buildings at night as they walk between Fine Arts buildings and visit key areas within each building, creating a gentle, unobtrusive presence for our students, staff and faculty.

College of Fine Arts building access and lanyards: In alignment with UT’s “Your ID is Your Key” campaign, students in our buildings must wear COFA-identifiable lanyards—containing their UTID and distributed free to all COFA students and faculty—when in our buildings after 10 p.m. Security guard officers will be looking for this visible ID. Additionally, these lanyards provide useful emergency phone numbers.

Landscape Across Campus: DPS and University staff are working to reduce vegetation to provide better security and visibility throughout specific areas of the campus, while maintaining enough vegetation to prevent dangerous erosion. To that end, Landscape Services has initiated a project to remove invasive species from the Waller Creek bed (similar to the project going on in the health district) and stabilize the banks with more sustainable, native plants. The first phase of this project near the Winship Building, and removal of these plans has improved visibility and sightlines across the creek.

Security Assessment: The UT campus is undergoing a security assessment by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the University has pledged to implement changes recommended by DPS. For the latest campus safety updates and to learn more about safety resources at UT, please visit the Be Safe website.